To do so, we used five of the state’s largest electricity companies to explore six things you'll have to evaluate when you're comparing plans and providers: We’ll walk you through customer satisfaction scores, running the numbers on rates, and calculating the impact of different fees, discounts, and contract types. We'll weigh in on extra perks, like points, and green energy too.

Last year the duo said that sales would break the 500,000 milestone but significantly underestimated the market’s growth, so “at the start of 2017, Angus and I are going to throw prudence to the winds, run our hands through our grey sea-captain hair, and bet it breaks the million mark”, helped by higher oil prices, a flood of new, improved models on the market, ongoing falls in battery prices and improved charging infrastructure. The aforementioned need to improve air quality and the continued fallout from the Dieselgate scandal will play a part, too.
Entrust Energy is a privately owned retail electricity and natural gas provider. With over 100,000 customers, it is one of the fastest growing providers in the nation. Entrust not only offers competitive rates and reliable customer service, but they have also eliminated all unnecessary monthly customer fees to show appreciation to their loyal customers. Entrust’s Customer Care Center, located in the US, provides personalized assistance to all customers to help reinforce the commitment to upholding the highest customer service standards in the industry.
For example, shoppers for Texas electricity plans in the 77494 ZIP code in Katy, TX, could find 12-month plans for 6.8 cents/kWh in February; by June, electricity rates had increased 27 percent to 9.3 cents/kWh. As of early September, 12-month plans were up again, to 9.9 cents/kWh – a 6.5 percent hike from June and a 46 percent increase just since February.
Likewise, if you opt for a plan like our StarTex Power example, but in some months only hit 990 kWh of energy use, the $35 discount for cresting $1,000 kWh won't apply — and your bill is going to show it. Picking the right plan for you requires two things: an intimate knowledge of your home’s typical energy use, and a critical eye on any plan’s fine print.
MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 303190). The registered office address of both MoneySupermarket.com Group PLC and MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited (registered in England No. 3157344) is MoneySupermarket House, St. David's Park, Ewloe, Chester, CH5 3UZ. MoneySavingExpert.com Limited is an appointed representative of MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited.
However, the energy storage sector will continue its strong showing from 2016, with commissioned capacity set to exceed 1GW for the first time, Liebreich and McCrone say. “We predict a doubling of new capacity from this year’s 700MW to 1.5GW, almost all of it lithium-ion batteries. We are going to see a further reduction in battery prices of at least 15% this year, after a 70% reduction in the past five years.”
Just Energy was founded in Mississauga, Ontario, in 1997, with the goal to provide customers with the energy they need as well as opportunities to become more efficient and leave behind a smaller carbon footprint. Just Energy and its affiliate companies rely on green energy options and dependable home and commercial service to build its customer base.
Texas electricity deregulation has given millions of Houston residents and businesses the power to choose the cheapest electricity rate. According to ERCOT, over 92% of Texas homes and businesses who live in deregulated areas have switched electric companies since deregulation began in 2002. Even though electric choice in Texas has been hugely successful for energy savings, customers are still confused by the options, terminology, and overall process of switching electric providers.
The complaints filed against providers aren't a perfect mirror of the J.D. Power customer satisfactions scores. Just Energy, which earned only two J.D. Power Circles and earned the second-lowest score, had only 21 complaints recorded with the Public Utility Commission. But it's helpful to view these complaints in aggregate: Over 50 percent of the 1,119 total complaints fall under "billing" — another reason to seek out a provider with high customer satisfaction in that area in particular.
†Offer is available to Texas residential customers who enroll using the Promotion Code “NIGHTSFREE”. Plan bills a monthly Base Charge, an Energy Charge, and passes through Utility Transmission and Distribution delivery charges. Energy Charges for usage consumed between 9pm and 7am each day is credited back on your bill. The utility charges, including delivery charges for night time hours, are passed through at cost and aggregated on your bill. See Electricity Facts Label for details.
Just Energy was founded in Mississauga, Ontario, in 1997, with the goal to provide customers with the energy they need as well as opportunities to become more efficient and leave behind a smaller carbon footprint. Just Energy and its affiliate companies rely on green energy options and dependable home and commercial service to build its customer base.
Whether you live in a large city or small town, we can save you money! Where do we provide Texas electricity? We service customers in more than 400 deregulated communities in Texas. We work with principal utilities throughout the state of Texas to provide prepaid electricity. The utilities are: Oncor in the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex and various parts of West Texas; CenterPoint Energy in Houston and the surrounding areas; AEP Central in Corpus Christi and surrounding areas; AEP North in Abilene and other North Texas communities.

It is unlikely that you’ll see any change at all. You will be receiving the same electricity as you always have been, just from a different company. The only difference you definitely will see will be smaller charges for your electricity. By using our price comparison service you’ll be able to cut costs to your energy tariffs and save more money on electricity and gas.

Like we said, fees don’t necessarily make for a bad plan — although it’s worth it to do the math to see if you can save with another provider. For example, compare TXU Energy’s Simple Rate 12 plan with its $9.95 base charge, alongside Direct Energy’s Live Brighter 12 plan with a smaller base charge, and Reliant’s Digital Discount plan with no base charge. We’ll use a Corpus Christi ZIP code and assume 1,000 kWh/month of energy use.
Agera Energy is a leading supplier of electricity and natural gas; serving residential, small business and large commercial /industrial customers across the United States with one of the finest trained sales staff and first-class customer service representatives in the industry. Founded in 2014 the company operates in 16 markets and offers customized electricity and natural gas plans, fixed and variable contract terms, and renewable energy options.
Ambit Energy provides electricity and natural gas services in deregulated markets across the United States, primarily marketed through a direct sales channel of more than 250,000 Independent Consultants. Based in Dallas, Texas, our company is focused on being the finest and most-respected retail energy provider in America, offering cost-effective choices for today’s energy consumer. In 2010, Ambit was named #1 Fastest-Growing Private Company in America by Inc. magazine, and we continue to pick up steam as the fastest-growing company in the retail energy sector today.
If you live in the greater Houston area, there are over 60 different energy suppliers competing for your business. Many of these providers have websites that are confusing and difficult to navigate, their rates buried in misleading advertising and dense jargon. Who has the time to sort through and keep track of options across all these different sites?

The increasing digitalisation of the energy and transportation will lead to an increased focus on making devices and networks more secure and more resilient. “From Vermont to Ukraine, the suspicion is that Russian hackers are on manoeuvres and that utilities are in their sights,” Liebreich says. “The clean energy sector must think carefully about how to protect itself, but also how to contribute to grid stability, particularly through power storage and ancillary services. The reality is that we are entering an era when a catastrophic failure could potentially cascade through the energy, communications, transport, financial and industrial systems, in a way that has never been seen before. It is vital that the world invests time, brains and money now to ensure it never happens.

However, the energy storage sector will continue its strong showing from 2016, with commissioned capacity set to exceed 1GW for the first time, Liebreich and McCrone say. “We predict a doubling of new capacity from this year’s 700MW to 1.5GW, almost all of it lithium-ion batteries. We are going to see a further reduction in battery prices of at least 15% this year, after a 70% reduction in the past five years.”
Even though customers in deregulated Texas markets routinely pay more for electricity, there is a bright spot. The gap between the average price paid for electricity between deregulated and regulated market has shrunk to 8.8 percent. In 2006, customers in deregulated cities were paying nearly 47 percent more for electricity than their counterparts in regulated cities.
In Maryland, you have the power to choose your electricity and natural gas suppliers. More than 500,000 Marylanders have already switched energy suppliers. Need a good reason to switch? Some suppliers regularly offer rates and service that are 10% or more cheaper than the utility. Things could get worse - Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. has proposed a rate increase it says would boost the average residential customer's total bill by $5.77 per month. A recent Choose Energy survey found that more than 86 percent say they've never chosen a competitive Maryland electricity plan, meaning they're probably paying more than they have to for energy. Don't pay more. Just enter your ZIP code above to see how you can begin saving with Choose Energy!
The freedom to choose your energy rates in Maryland is not only available in homes but also to commercial customers. In fact, more than 90% of large businesses in the state have enrolled with alternative suppliers. This competition between energy suppliers to provide lower prices for businesses could be why commercial electric prices in Maryland are lower than the national average this year. If the same competition between suppliers existed for residential customers, prices might also decrease. However, without participation in energy choice, suppliers are not forced to compete for your business. Want to see the available rates? Enter your ZIP code above.
*Save Over £390 - Over 10% of the estimated quotations raised by users of the Simply Switch Website to switch their gas and electricity suppliers between 01/02/2015 - 01/06/2015 produced a predicted annual saving of £390 or more. Current combined spend for gas and electricity of between £84 and £6869. Savings may have included Direct Debit and online discounts. Energy prices vary by usage and postcode.
There was a time when electricity was electricity. Like so many other places around America, in Houston, electricity didn’t mean “cheap electricity”. But you moved into your home and you called the utility and they turned on the power and the bill came in and you paid it every month. Oh, sure, you might grumble at the amount but then you’d go around and yell at the kids for leaving the lights on and the TV blaring with nobody in the room or maybe you’d look into buying more energy-efficient appliances. When it came down to it, the Bill was the Bill. Either you paid the bill or you ate dry packet meals, had cold showers, and watched TV by peering through the neighbor’s window after dark (preferably once they’d turned the TV on). What’s that? You want cheap electricity? Sure thing: call 1-800-WHO-CARES any time during regular business hours of 2:17am to 3:04am Sundays only.

Veteran Energy has been in business since 2010, primarily serving those, who put everything on the line for this country. The company provides electricity for homes and businesses throughout Texas and gives back a portion of each customer’s bill to the veteran support organization of their choice. With Veteran Energy, customers get competitive electricity rates and exceptional customer care, all while supporting American military members.

Oasis Energy is one of the most recognized energy marketers in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois and Maryland. They supply electricity and natural gas to residential and business customers. They aim to excel at providing the best quality customer support in the industry. They try to achieve this goal by focusing on operational efficiency within the organization and making business decisions that benefit their customers.
3. Customer service: When the only utility available has lousy customer service, nobody is surprised. They don’t even pretend to care – they know they have you over a barrel. With all these new players in town, however, it’s a slap in the face to be treated like royalty until you’ve signed on the dotted line and now they won’t even return your calls or the person on the phone can’t string three English words together or if he does speak English, he’s brand new and panicking trying to pull up your account information.

Texas electricity deregulation has given millions of Houston residents and businesses the power to choose the cheapest electricity rate. According to ERCOT, over 92% of Texas homes and businesses who live in deregulated areas have switched electric companies since deregulation began in 2002. Even though electric choice in Texas has been hugely successful for energy savings, customers are still confused by the options, terminology, and overall process of switching electric providers.

As a residential or commercial customer, you’ll enjoy competitive rates, flexible contracts, and personalized plans that give you the power to choose what’s best for you. And we offer no-deposit electricity for well-qualified customers and deposit payment plans for those with less than desirable credit so that switching retail electric providers won’t break the bank.‡ When you switch to Amigo Energy today, you’ll switch on the power of convenience and affordability.